Retail stores have a difficult time protecting merchandise items such as eyeglasses, boxes containing various expensive merchandise, electronic items and other similarly structured packages, as well as protecting such containers from being opened and the contents thereof being removed without authorization from store personnel or damaged while on display. Consumers often want to visually inspect the packaged expensive articles before deciding to purchase them. The store is faced with the problem of how to protect these expensive articles from theft while displaying them for sale.
One method used to protect these packages and the articles contained therein is to enclose the article within a transparent glass display case which can only be accessed from behind a counter of the retail store. The consumer can view the article through the glass but is not able to handle the article or read any of the information about the article that may be printed on the box unless a store clerk removes the article from the case. However, in large retail stores, the problem then arises of getting the selected merchandise to the customer after the customer wishes to purchase the same without subjecting the merchandise to theft. One manner is to maintain a supply of the boxes containing the expensive articles or merchandise close at hand for delivery to or pick-up by the customer for subsequent taking to a check-out clerk. However this makes the boxes susceptible to theft and requires additional sales personnel.
Another method used by retail stores is to list the article in a catalog and require consumers to place an order from the catalog. The article is delivered from a back storage area and the consumer must simultaneously pick up and pay for the merchandise at the same location to prevent unauthorized removal from the store. The consumer does not get to inspect the article before purchasing and if they are not satisfied they must undergo the hassle of returning the article for a refund.
Another approach to protect items is to use custom security protection devices for different types of merchandise items. For example, “pin tags” can be used for merchandise items where a pin can be punched through the merchandise item and a secure alarm box can be attached to the pin on the other side of the merchandise item as describe in U.S. Pat. No. 6,920,769. Alternatively, “cable lock” anti-theft protection devices have a cable that can be looped through a merchandise item and then secured into an alarm housing as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,474,209. Another type of protection device is a clear plastic box or “safer” into which the merchandise item can placed and the lid of the box locked and alarmed as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,484,389. It is not always practical to have a variety of security devices for different types of merchandise. Additionally, traditional security devices have a difficult time securing objects with long thin surface that provide little friction (eyewear, small tool handles) without damaging those surfaces and without sliding or being easily pulled off those surfaces. Therefore, a need exists for a single security device with a robust locking mechanism that can be placed on a variety of merchandise items.